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Matthew 25:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

“The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten girls took their

oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom. Five of the girls were foolish

and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil. The ones

who were wise took along their lamps. The groom was late arriving, and the girls

became drowsy and fell asleep. Then in the middle of the night someone shouted,

‘Here's the groom! Come to meet him!’

“When the girls got up and started getting their lamps ready, the foolish ones said

to the others, ‘Let us have some of your oil! Our lamps are going out.’

“The girls who were wise answered, ‘There's not enough oil for all of us! Go and

buy some for yourselves.’

“While the foolish girls were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The

girls who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed. Later the

other girls returned and shouted, ‘Sir, sir! Open the door for us!’

“But the groom replied, ‘I don't even know you!’

“So, my disciples, always be ready! You don't know the day or the time when all

this will happen.”

THE CASE OF THE ABSENT HOMEROOM TEACHER

“Class,” Mrs. Williams told her ninth-grade students with a twinkle in her eyes,

“Starting Monday, I’ll be on maternity leave.”

Everybody gasped. They had hoped she would be with them on the Fantasy Park

trip.

“That’s great!” Susan Wilshire said, collecting herself. “If it’s a girl, name her

Susan!”

“No way!” Jim Usher joined in. “It’s going to be a boy and she’s naming him after

me.”

“Well, as great as you all are,” Mrs. Williams smiled, “the names are already

chosen. If it’s a boy, he’ll be named after my husband, and if it’s a girl, she’ll be

named after me.” She hurried on to cushion the class’s disappointment. “While I’m

gone, though, I want Jim to make sure Team A finishes their science project, and

Susan can do the same with Team B.”

Sabbath Afternoon | Today’s Reading

End-Time: Home at Last | Lesson 7 | February 14, 2015

The Case of the Absent Homeroom Teacher

“How long will you be gone?” Jim asked.

“A few weeks, but a substitute will be here to teach you. Since you’ve just about

finished your projects, pass them in by nine o’clock May 14, a month from today.”

“That’s when we go to the amusement park!” Susan gasped. “If we don’t finish our

projects, we can’t go!”

“Not to fear, Susan,” Mrs. Williams replied. “You’ve got more than enough time to

finish.” Then, her eyes twinkling, she added, “And I’ll work on being here for the

ten o’clock Fantasy Park trip.”

After Mrs. Williams went on leave, the groups worked hard on their projects. Then

everybody gradually slacked off, figuring they’d finish everything later. However,

Susan’s group made its materials, while Jim’s group waited for a department store

sale to buy theirs.

Then one day the substitute teacher reminded them, “Today’s May 14, and your

projects are due!”

They all stopped cold in their tracks

“Guys,” Susan yelled, heading for the last of the materials. “Let’s finish everything

now!”

“Hey,” Jim bellowed, “we need materials. . . Quick, Susan, lend us some of yours.”

“Sorry, Jim. We don’t have enough for our group and yours. Hurry to the store!”

Jim’s group left in a cloud of dust. While they were gone, Susan’s group finished

their project, and Mrs. Williams came and took the jubilant Team B to Fantasy Park.

What does “Today’s Reading” have to do with the story above?

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What if any parts of the story remind you of the parable?

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Explain the comparison.

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Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 35-38

“‘Ye are the salt of the earth.’ Matthew 5:13.

“Salt is valued for its preservative properties; and when God calls His children salt,

He would teach them that His purpose in making them the subjects of His grace is

that they may become agents in saving others. The object of God in choosing a

people before all the world was not only that He might adopt them as His sons and

daughters, but that through them the world might receive the grace that bringeth

salvation. Titus 2:11. When the Lord chose Abraham, it was not simply to be the

special friend of God, but to be a medium of the peculiar privileges the Lord desired

to bestow upon the nations. Jesus, in that last prayer with His disciples before His

crucifixion, said, ‘For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified

through the truth.’ John 17:19. In like manner Christians who are purified through

the truth will possess saving qualities that preserve the world from utter moral

corruption.

“Salt must be mingled with the substance to which it is added; it must penetrate

and infuse in order to preserve. So it is through personal contact and association

that men are reached by the saving power of the gospel. They are not saved in

masses, but as individuals. Personal influence is a power. We must come close to

those whom we desire to benefit.

“The savor of the salt represents the vital power of the Christian—the love of Jesus

in the heart, the righteousness of Christ pervading the life. The love of Christ is

diffusive and aggressive. If it is dwelling in us, it will flow out to others. We shall

come close to them till their hearts are warmed by our unselfish interest and love.

The sincere believers diffuse vital energy, which is penetrating and imparts new

moral power to the souls for whom they labor. It is not the power of the man

himself, but the power of the Holy Spirit that does the transforming work.

“Jesus added the solemn warning: ‘If the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it

be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden

underfoot of men.’

“As they listened to the words of Christ, the people could see the white salt

glistening in the pathways where it had been cast out because it had lost its savor

and was therefore useless. It well represented the condition of the Pharisees and

the effect of their religion upon society. It represents the life of every soul from

whom the power of the grace of God has departed and who has become cold and

Christless. Whatever may be his profession, such a one is looked upon by men and

angels as insipid and disagreeable. It is to such that Christ say: ‘I would thou wert

cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will

spue thee out of My mouth.’ Revelation 3:15, 16.

“Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour it is impossible to make our

influence felt in a skeptical world. We cannot give to others that which we do not

Sunday | Today’s Reading

ourselves possess. It is in proportion to our own devotion and consecration to

Christ that we exert an influence for the blessing and uplifting of mankind. If there

is no actual service, no genuine love, no reality of experience, there is no power to

help, no connection with heaven, no savor of Christ in the life. Unless the Holy

Spirit can use us as agents through whom to communicate to the world the truth as

it is in Jesus, we are as salt that has lost its savor and is entirely worthless. By our

lack of the grace of Christ we testify to the world that the truth which we claim to

believe has no sanctifying power; and thus, so far as our influence goes, we make

of no effect the word of God. ‘If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but

have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the

gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith,

so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my

goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it

profiteth me nothing.’ 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, A.R.V.

“When love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not because of favors received

from them, but because love is the principle of action. Love modifies the character,

governs the impulses, subdues enmity, and ennobles the affections. This love is as

broad as the universe, and is in harmony with that of the angel workers. Cherished

in the heart, it sweetens the entire life and sheds its blessing upon all around. It is

this, and this only, that can make us the salt of the earth.”

1. Highlight the paragraph that starts, “Without a living faith in Christ as a

personal Saviour . . .”

2. Underline the sentence that begins, “Unless the Holy Spirit can use us . . .”

3. Highlight the paragraph that starts, “When love fills the heart . . .”

4. Underline the sentence that begins, “ This love is as broad as the universe . . .”

HERE’S WHAT I THINK

Lately, Sandra’s been going to church for more than meeting her friends, hearing

the latest scoop, and planning after-Sabbath activities. She has a growing urge to

know Jesus better. Once when the pastor preached on Jesus’ second coming, she

felt that something—or someone—was nudging her to accept Jesus publicly. But

she knows that if she acts on these convictions, her group will label her “Holy

Jane.” On the other hand, she wants to get ready for Jesus’ return.

What should Sandra do? Is it possible to have it both ways? What will probably be

the result either way she goes?

Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and

honest. Say what you think. The lines below are provided as an alternative to

posting. You may wish to record your thoughts and share them with your class

later.

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Jesus’ Second Coming

Find the hidden words within the grid of letters. Words can be horizontal, vertical,

or diagonal, and backward or forward.

angels dead rise heaven

oil lamps wise bridegroom

every Jesus see clouds

eye love virgins

Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 408-412

“In the parable, all the ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps

and vessels for oil. For a time there was seen no difference between them. So with

the church that lives just before Christ's second coming. All have a knowledge of

the Scriptures. All have heard the message of Christ's near approach, and

confidently expect His appearing. But as in the parable, so it is now. A time of

waiting intervenes, faith is tried; and when the cry is heard, ‘Behold, the

Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him,’ many are unready. They have no oil

Monday | Today’s Reading

Tuesday | Today’s Reading

in their vessels with their lamps. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit.

“Without the Spirit of God a knowledge of His word is of no avail. The theory of

truth, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or sanctify the

heart. One may be familiar with the commands and promises of the Bible; but

unless the Spirit of God sets the truth home, the character will not be transformed.

Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will not be able to distinguish truth

from error, and they will fall under the masterful temptations of Satan.

“The class represented by the foolish virgins are not hypocrites. They have a regard

for the truth, they have advocated the truth, they are attracted to those who

believe the truth; but they have not yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit's

working. They have not fallen upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and permitted their old

nature to be broken up. This class is represented also by the stony-ground hearers.

They receive the word with readiness, but they fail of assimilating its principles. Its

influence is not abiding. The Spirit works upon man's heart, according to his desire

and consent implanting in him a new nature; but the class represented the foolish

virgins have been content with a superficial work. They do not know God. They

have not studied His character; they have not held communion with Him; therefore

they do not know how to trust, how to look and live. Their service to God

degenerates into a form. ‘They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit

before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for

with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their

covetousness.’ Ezekiel 33:31. The apostle Paul points out that this will be the

special characteristic of those who live just before Christ's second coming. He says,

‘In the last days perilous times shall come: for men shall be lovers of their own

selves; . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of

godliness, but denying the power thereof.’ 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

“This is the class that in time of peril are found crying, Peace and safety. They lull

their hearts into security, and dream not of danger. When startled from their

lethargy, they discern their destitution, and entreat others to supply their lack; but

in spiritual things no man can make up another's deficiency. The grace of God has

been freely offered to every soul. The message of the gospel has been heralded,

‘Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life

freely.; Revelation 22:17. But character is not transferable. No man can believe for

another. No man can receive the Spirit for another. No man can impart to another

the character which is the fruit of the Spirit's working. ‘Though Noah, Daniel, and

Job were in it [the land], as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son

nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.’ Ezekiel

14:20.

“It is in a crisis that character is revealed. When the earnest voice proclaimed at

midnight, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,’ and the

sleeping virgins were roused from their slumbers, it was seen who had made

preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares; but one was prepared

for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. So now, a sudden

and unlooked-for calamity, something that brings the soul face to face with death,

will show whether there is any real faith in the promises of God. It will show

whether the soul is sustained by grace. The great final test comes at the close of

human probation, when it will be too late for the soul's need to be supplied.

“The ten virgins are watching in the evening of this earth's history. All claim to be

Christians. All have a call, a name, a lamp, and all profess to be doing God's

service. All apparently wait for Christ's appearing. But five are unready. Five will be

found surprised, dismayed, outside the banquet hall.”

Why did Jesus tell the parable of the ten virgins?

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How many people feel that they are the foolish virgins?

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Are the foolish virgins hypocrites?

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How did they come to be called “foolish”?

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How can we be “wise”?

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Should we be afraid of Jesus’ second coming?

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What will Jesus’ second coming be like?

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SO WHAT?

Look around you. Everything in this world is in a mess, and doesn’t seem to be

getting any better. Wars overturn governments, destroy buildings, and split up

families. Everywhere there is death and there is loss. Mysterious diseases strike,

threatening whole groups of humans, as well as animals. Natural disasters are on

the rise, the crime rates are growing higher, and evil people find new ways to inflict

pain and terror.

These events all shout that something BIG is about to happen. Just like a person

dying from cancer or AIDS, our hopelessly sick world announces that it cannot last

much longer. Life has strayed so far from what God intended it to be that God must

surely send His Son to destroy sin and restore the earth to the wonderful, perfect

place He created it to be.

But true to His nature of love, God has extended the time for us to get ready for

Jesus’ return. He uses the awful things we see around us to warn us. But the time

for making the choice to let Him get us out of this mess is almost over. Very soon

He has to come and put an end to sin and rescue those of us who have chosen to

let Him fix us up and get us out of here.

Why on earth would a wise person want to waste this last bit of time, when making

the decision to follow Jesus out of all this will guarantee a forever life of peace, joy,

and adventure?

Match the text with the verse

Matthew 1:21 (NIV) _______

John 14:1-3 (NIV) _______

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) _______

Matthew 24:24 (NIV) ______

Matthew 24:27 (NIV) ______

Luke 12:32 (KJV) ______

Wednesday | Today’s Reading

Isaiah 11:6-9 (KJV) _______

Isaiah 65:22 (NIV) _______

A. “No longer will they build houses and others live in them . . .”

B. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus . . .”

C. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb . . .”

D. “Do not let your hearts be troubled . . .”

E. “Fear not little flock . . .”

F. “For as lightning that comes from the east . . .”

G. “For false Christs and false prophets . . .”

H. “Be self-controlled and alert . . .”

Mark 13:3-27 (New International Version)

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James,

John and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen? And

what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?’

“Jesus said to them: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my

name, claiming, “I am he,” and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and

rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to

come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be

earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

“‘You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and

flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and

kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about

what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking,

but the Holy Spirit.

“‘Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel

against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of

me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

“‘When you see “the abomination that causes desolation” standing where it does

not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the

mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take

anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be

in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take

Thursday | Today’s Reading

place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the

beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of

the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says

to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” or, “Look, there he is!” do not believe it. For false

Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive

the elect—if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything

ahead of time.

“‘But in those days, following that distress, “the sun will be darkened, and the

moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies

will be shaken.”

“‘At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and

glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from

the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.’”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (New King James Version)

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an

archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then

we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to

meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore

comfort one another with these words.”

According to Mark 13 what are the signs of Jesus coming? Please list them.

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How many of them have already happened?

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How many people will see Jesus when He comes according to “Today’s Reading”?

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WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

The Second Coming is going to be the greatest event in history. It represents the

victory of God’s way over Satan’s way. Accompanied by millions of rejoicing angels,

Jesus comes to earth with a trumpet blast that wakes the dead. Like a champion

who has defeated a powerful enemy, He shouts His joy about bringing sin and

suffering to an end.

Before your birth, He formed you, preparing your pathway for life. After birth, He

stuck by you in good times and in bad. Despite you sins, He loved you as though

you were the only person on earth. Now as He enters Earth’s atmosphere, He looks

for you. He longs to hug you, to take you away from every remembrance of sin and

earth forever and, at long last, to introduce you to His Father.

Would you disappoint Someone who loves you that much? Who did so much for

you? Who values you so highly? Pleasure, money, and popularity can never

compare with Him! They can never match the wonder of living with Him in a perfect

world that daily increases your joy, peace, and love! Please make up your mind to

accept this wonderful bargain today.

You’ll never regret it!

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 107-109

“‘Thy kingdom come.’ Matthew 6:10.

“God is our Father, who loves and cares for us as His children; He is also the great

King of the universe. The interests of His kingdom are our interests, and we are to

work for its upbuilding.

“The disciples of Christ were looking for the immediate coming of the kingdom of

His glory, but in giving them this prayer Jesus taught that the kingdom was not

then to be established. They were to pray for its coming as an event yet future. But

this petition was also an assurance to them. While they were not to behold the

coming of the kingdom in their day, the fact that Jesus bade them pray for it is

evidence that in God's own time it will surely come.

“The kingdom of God's grace is now being established, as day by day hearts that

have been full of sin and rebellion yield to the sovereignty of His love. But the full

establishment of the kingdom of His glory will not take place until the second

coming of Christ to this world. ‘The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of

Friday | Today’s Reading

the kingdom under the whole heaven,’ is to be given to ‘the people of the saints of

the Most High.’ Daniel 7:27. They shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them ‘from

the foundation of the world.’ Matthew 25:34. And Christ will take to Himself His

great power and will reign.

“The heavenly gates are again to be lifted up, and with ten thousand times ten

thousand and thousands of thousands of holy ones, our Saviour will come forth as

King of kings and Lord of lords. Jehovah Immanuel ‘shall be king over all the earth:

in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.’ ‘The tabernacle of God’

shall be with men, ‘and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and

God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.’ Zechariah 14:9; Revelation

21:3.

“But before that coming, Jesus said, ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached

in all the world for a witness unto all nations.’ Matthew 24:14. His kingdom will not

come until the good tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth. Hence,

as we give ourselves to God, and win other souls to Him, we hasten the coming of

His kingdom. Only those who devote themselves to His service, saying, ‘Here am I;

send me’ (Isaiah 6:8), to open blind eyes, to turn men ‘from darkness to light and

from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and

inheritance among them which are sanctified’ (Acts 26:18)—they alone pray in

sincerity, ‘Thy kingdom come.’”

1. Highlight the paragraph that starts, “The kingdom of God’s grace . . .”

2. Underline the sentence that begins, “Only those who devote themselves to His

service . . .”

The Great Controversy, p. 678

“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe

is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From

Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of

illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate

and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is

love.”

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Think of all the things that you really love. Often what we value is determined not

only by what we say about something but also by what we think of it and do about

it. What, for instance, is it you think of most? What is it you spend a lot of time

doing—or wishing that you could do? What is it that you could talk about for a long

time—and not feel time pass? In short, what is it that really has your affections?

Write a paragraph identifying these things.

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After writing, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Can the things that I love compare with Jesus or match what He has in store

for me in heaven?

2. Is what I love helping or hindering my preparation for Jesus’ second

coming?

3. If they are helping my preparation, how can I share them with others?

4. If they are hindering my preparation, are they worth my time and affection?

Write another paragraph recording your answers to the questions.

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End the activity by asking God to reveal Himself to you as your best Friend. Ask

Him to help you to continue loving the things that help you and others get ready for

His return, and pray for strength to stop doing anything that hinders your

relationship with Him or readiness for His coming.

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Scripture quotations identified CEV are from the Contemporary English Version. Copyright © American

Bible Society 1991, 1995. Used by permission.

Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by

Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.